Since 2021 when Governor Baker signed the Massachusetts Housing
Choice Act (HCA) requiring communities on transport lines connecting them to
Boston to comply with zoning requirements that permit an increase of
multi-family housing, I have been keeping an eye on both the proposals of
the Housing Choice Act Working Group and various community responses.
Recently, I have been trying to sort out the concerns and positions that
have been expressed.
* Keep Lincoln Green: Lincoln is being asked to rezone 42 acres.
Lincoln's total land area is 9,216 acres. Thus, the land under
consideration for rezoning is 0.4 % of the total amount. Lincoln has 40 per
cent of its land in conservation. Keeping Lincoln green does not seem to me
to be an issue. In fact, "a massive radical rezoning of a huge amount of
Lincoln and letting the developers have at it," as was asserted by a
participant Monday evening, November 13, seems a considerable
overstatement.
* Overwhelming traffic: I live on Trapelo Road, an access road for
Lincoln, and am very much aware of rush hour traffic which twice a day pours
through Lincoln. I have also observed that at least 90% of the cars are
occupied by only the driver and are moving from outside Lincoln to another
destination outside Lincoln. The rest of the day traffic is light. I am
persuaded that the increase of cars owned by residents in new housing around
the town center will be a small part of the traffic problem Lincoln faces
and that there are other ways we might deal with traffic flow concerns.
* Red herrings: There are several red herrings, but one is
particularly bothersome. It is the question of affordable housing. The HCA
requires only 10%. We need to have more. Therefore, the argument goes,
let's delay compliance and figure out a higher percentage that the town can
determine and control.
However, in my view, if we proceed now with enabling rezoning
for 635 units, we shall at least be on the way to 60 plus possibilities for
affordable housing, a better option than spending more time trying to figure
out how to get there. I strongly support affordable housing, but I also see
here the risk of allowing the "perfect" to stand in the way of the "good."
A second red herring, in my view, is the notion that the town has no
agency in the face of "the developers." There are all sorts of regulations
and checks, and I do not foresee Lincoln's leadership simply "rolling over
and playing dead."
* Timing: Timing can be a tool; timing can be a weapon; timing can
be money; timing can provide opportunity; timing can "slow walk" a proposal
or project into oblivion. One question about timing utterly perplexes me.
People have complained that the discussion has been moving too quickly, that
we need to slow down, that they are only now learning about this act and the
decisions to be made.
This has been under discussion for nearly two years. Have they attended any
of the several neighborhood discussions? Or the State of the Town meeting
on September 8? (About 100 people only were present.) The HCAWG has
provided "tons" of information and offered numerous opportunities for
discussion. Do we need more time for this discussion? I don't think so.
* Worst case scenarios A number have been presented and most
involve traffic lights, ugly multi-story buildings, and an increasingly
brown environment. My personal worst-case scenario is the continuing
decline of our commercial center if we do not move expeditiously to provide
the context in which it can thrive. The town website offers compelling
evidence for keeping the mall area within the zone for HCA compliance.
<https://www.lincolntown.org/1327/Housing-Choice-Act-Working-Group>
https://www.lincolntown.org/1327/Housing-Choice-Act-Working-Group
Let's reframe this discussion and think of some best-case
scenarios in which we have several handsome three-story apartment buildings,
attractive landscaping, park benches, a playground, another coffee shop, and
other opportunities for residents to congregate in a charming and congenial
setting.
* Making the decision Somehow, we must find our way between
paralyzing caution and grave risk. I firmly believe that the HCA Working
Group, the Select and Planning Boards, and the Rural Land Foundation have
provided a path forward to do so. I have confidence and trust in their
careful investigation of the issues, their commitment to the values of the
town, and their judgment. Whether or not the designated working group and
various boards add newly proposed options to the roster for discussion on
December 2, I hope that we shall move forward with determination to address
fairly and honestly the housing crisis that exists in the Greater Boston
area.
And if there is any doubt in the need to do so, I recommend perusal of The
Boston Foundation's recent housing report that can be found at
https://www.tbf.org/news-and-insights/videos/2023/november/exclusionary-by-d
esign-20231108 as well as in a report published two years ago by the
Century Foundation on discriminatory housing policies in Massachusetts which
can be found at
https://tcf.org/content/report/walls-exclusion-massachusetts-three-mothers-o
vercome-discriminatory-zoning-laws-improve-lives-children/. My first two
choices for December 2 with Ranked Choice Vorting would be Option C and
Option D-1.
Barbara Slayter
7 Trapelo Road
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